Self-service terminal

ABSTRACT

A self-service terminal ( 14 ) having a port ( 78 ) for transferring data is described. The terminal ( 14 ) includes a program ( 94 ) for informing a user about one or more electronic collectables ( 100 ) that a user can request, and for transferring a requested electronic collectable ( 100 ) to the user. The electronic collectables ( 100 ) typically comprise an image ( 104 ), an associated description ( 106 ) of the image, and file format information ( 102 ). A portable device ( 24 ) for accessing such a terminal ( 14 ) is also described. The device ( 24 ) comprises a program ( 50 ) for receiving a transferred electronic collectable ( 100 ) and for presenting at least part of the transferred electronic collectable so that a user of the device ( 24 ) can view an image and text portion of an electronic collectable ( 100 ) downloaded from the terminal ( 14 ).

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

[0001] The present invention relates to a self-service terminal (SST),and to an SST system for distributing data. The invention also relatesto a portable device for accessing an SST, and to a program forexecuting on such an SST.

[0002] SSTs are public access devices that typically provide users withaccess to services in an unattended environment.

[0003] SSTs are typically interconnected by a network that covers arelatively large geographical area. This makes SST networks ideal fordistributing information and other data.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0004] According to a first aspect of the present invention there isprovided a self-service terminal having a port for transferring data,characterized in that the terminal includes a collectables managementprogram for informing a user about one or more electronic collectablesthat a user can request, and for transferring a requested electroniccollectable to the user.

[0005] The word “collectable” when used herein refers to data thatrepresents one of a series of characters, icons, images, sounds, text,animations, or such like. One example of a collectable is an image of afamous film star. Another example of a collectable is a sound fileexcerpted from a song. Yet another example is a video clip from anewly-released film.

[0006] In a preferred embodiment, a collectable comprises an image(animated or still) and an associated description of the image. Thedescription may be text-based or audio-based.

[0007] In one embodiment, the image relates to a character (real orfictitious), and the description relates to attributes (such as age,height, origin, preferences, or such like) of that character.

[0008] Preferably, the SST includes a plurality of collections, eachcollection comprising a series of associated collectables. For example,an SST may include three different collections, the first collectioncomprising rugby player collectables, the second collection comprisingfilm star collectables, the third collection comprising video clipcollectables. Thus, each film star collectable may contain a picture ofa film star and a description of the most famous films in which thatactor or actress appeared.

[0009] Each collectable in a collection preferably shares a commonfunction, and/or a common brand, and/or a common ‘look and feel’.

[0010] Each image in a collection may be mounted in a frame that iscommon to the images in that collection. Thus, when displayed, acollectable may have a similar appearance to traditional collectablecards, such as cigarette cards, and football cards. However,collectables are displayed, stored, and transferred electronicallyrather than physically, as for traditional cards.

[0011] Preferably, the port is a wireless port for wireless transfer ofthe collectables to the user. This enables a user to access the terminalusing a portable device, such as a PDA (personal digital assistant), acellular telephone, a games console, an Internet access device, a memorycartridge, or such like. The wireless port may be an infra red port(such as an IrDA-compliant port), a Bluetooth (trade mark) compliantport, or any other convenient port.

[0012] Alternatively, the port may be a cradle to allow a user's device(such as an MP3 player) to couple to the terminal to allow transfer ofthe collectable. The cradle may be provided in addition to the wirelessport; that is, two ports may be provided, one wireless, the other acradle.

[0013] Preferably, each collectable is a software file. The softwarefile may allow interaction by a user; for example, the software file maybe an applet. This is particularly advantageous when the collectable isa “pet” that responds differently according to how a user interacts withit.

[0014] Preferably, each collectable includes a file format informationindicating the collection to which the collectable belongs. The fileformat information may include other information, such as how the storeddata is to be represented (for example, if the data includes an image,how the image is to be displayed, if the data includes text, how muchtext there is), the date on which the collectable was downloaded, andsuch like.

[0015] The terminal may include a receiving program for receiving acollectable from a user's portable device, thereby allowing a user totrade a collectable with the terminal. The receiving programfunctionality may be incorporated into that of the collectablesmanagement program.

[0016] The terminal may include a timer for removing the collectablesfrom the terminal (for example, by deleting them) after a predeterminedperiod of time (for example, five days). This allows a collection to beprovided for a predetermined time period.

[0017] The terminal may provide a remote host with details of thecollectables distributed during a period, for example, during a day, aweek, or such like. Such details may include the number and type ofcollectables distributed. These details may be provided in a similar wayto the manner in which state of health information relating to theterminal is conveyed to the remote host. For example, the collectabledistributed during a period may be reported in the same way as theamount of cash dispensed from the terminal during a particular timeperiod.

[0018] The terminal may be an automated teller machine.

[0019] In some embodiments, each electronic collectable may have apurchase price, so that a self-service terminal sells collectables tousers. In other embodiments, however, it is envisaged that electroniccollectables are transferred to a user free of charge.

[0020] An SST may sell previous collections of collectables to a user.

[0021] By virtue of this aspect of the invention, users are encouragedto visit SSTs so that they can complete a collection of their chosencollectables. This provides an SST network with an added attraction forcustomers. While a user is at an SST additional services (for which theuser pays) may be offered, thereby increasing the use of the SSTs andthe revenue from the SSTs. As many SSTs include a full color display,and can be modified to include a wireless port, existing SSTs can beupgraded to distribute electronic collectables.

[0022] According to a second aspect of the invention there is provided aportable device for accessing a self-service terminal, the portabledevice including a port for receiving data, characterized in that thedevice further comprises a program for receiving a transferredelectronic collectable, and for presenting at least part of the receivedcollectable.

[0023] Where the electronic collectable includes a visualrepresentation, the device may display the visual representation.

[0024] Where the electronic collectable comprises an animated and/oraudible representation, the device may execute the animated and/oraudible representation so that the user can watch and/or listen to it.

[0025] Preferably, the program displays a gallery of downloadedcollectables. Conveniently, the collectables are grouped by the deviceinto collections to which they relate. The device may read file formatinformation indicating the group to which the collectable belongs toenable the device to group the electronic collectables correctly.

[0026] Preferably, the program is able to transfer each collectable toanother portable device, thereby allowing users to trade collectableswith each other.

[0027] According to a third aspect of the invention there is provided anelectronic collectable for distribution from a self-service terminal,the collectable comprising a software file having file formatinformation and an associated representation, where the file formatinformation indicates a series to which the representation belongs.

[0028] Preferably, the electronic collectable further comprises atext-based description of the representation. Alternatively, oradditionally, the electronic collectable may further comprise an audiodescription of the representation. The description may includeattributes of any character (for example: gender, height, age,appearance, or such like) or object (for example, engine size, color,shape, or such like) shown in the representation.

[0029] Preferably, the file format information includes one or more ofthe following (in any combination): a title of the electroniccollectable, an indication of the size of the title, image widthinformation, image height information, color data for indicating thecolors of each pixel in the collectible, an indication of the size ofany text information associated with the collectable image, and thenumber of frames to be transmitted that relate to the current image typeand resolution.

[0030] The representation may be an image, a sound clip, a video clip,text, or such like.

[0031] According to a fourth aspect of the invention there is provided asystem for distributing electronic collectables, the system comprising aplurality of self-service terminals interconnected to a server; whereinthe terminals are able to receive one or more collectables from theserver so that a series of collectables can be centrally loaded on theserver and distributed through each of the self-service terminals.

[0032] According to a fifth aspect of the invention there is provided amethod of supplying a self-service terminal user with an electroniccollectable, the method comprising the steps of: informing a user aboutone or more collectables that the user can request; receiving a requestfor a collectable from the user; advising the user to prepare to receivethe requested collectable; and transferring the collectable to aportable device of the user.

[0033] The portable device may be held by the user. Alternatively, theportable device may be worn by the user.

[0034] The step of advising the user to prepare to receive the requestedcollectable may include advising the user to align a portable devicewith a port in the self-service terminal.

[0035] According to a sixth aspect of the invention there is provided amethod of marketing an event, the method comprising the steps of:preparing a series of electronic collectables associated with the event,each collectable comprising a software file; storing the series ofcollectables in a system; and allowing users to download a collectablefrom the system.

[0036] The event may be the release of a new film, the release of a newmusical record, a sporting event, a new product or service, or suchlike.

[0037] The method may comprise the further step of: generating rulesrelating to the number of collectables that a user may download during atime period. For example, each user may only be allowed to download asingle collectable each day. This has the advantage that a user isattracted to the system each day to collect the entire series ofcollectables.

[0038] The method may comprise the further step of: setting a time limitduring which the collectables may be collected. For example, thecollectables may be removed from the system after one week.Alternatively or additionally, the method may comprise the step of:setting a limit to the number of electronic collectables that can bedownloaded. For example, the collectables may be removed from the systemafter one thousand collectables have been downloaded. A limit to thenumber of electronic collectables that can be downloaded may be set foreach geographic location of the self-service terminals.

[0039] The method may include the step of targeting users to whomelectronic collectables will be offered. These may be the only users towhom the electronic collectables are offered. The targeted users may befrequent users of the SSTs.

[0040] According to a seventh aspect of the invention there is provideda program for executing on a portable terminal, the program beingoperable to receive an electronic collectable, and to present at leastpart of the electronic collectable on a display associated with theportable terminal.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0041] These and other aspects of the invention will be apparent fromthe following specific description, given by way of example, withreference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

[0042]FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a self-service terminal system inaccordance with one embodiment of the present invention;

[0043]FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating the architecture of aportable device used in the system of FIG. 1;

[0044]FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing an ATM of FIG. 1 in more detail;

[0045]FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing part of the ATM of FIG. 3 inmore detail;

[0046]FIG. 5 illustrates the data structure of an electroniccollectable;

[0047]FIG. 6 illustrates a representation stored in an electroniccollectable and the associated text description;

[0048]FIG. 7 illustrates part of the system of FIG. 1 that stores aseries file containing electronic collectables;

[0049]FIG. 8 illustrates the data structure of the series file of FIG.7;

[0050]FIGS. 9a to 9 f illustrate screens displayed on the ATM of FIG. 3during a transaction where a user downloads an electronic collectable;

[0051]FIGS. 10a to 10 c illustrate screens displayed on the portabledevice of FIG. 2 to a user after downloading an electronic collectablefrom the ATM of FIG. 3; and

[0052]FIG. 11 is a flowchart illustrating the steps involved inencrypting an electronic collectable when transferring from an ATM to aportable device.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0053] Referring now to FIG. 1, which is a block diagram of aself-service terminal system 10 in accordance with one embodiment of thepresent invention, the system 10 comprises a host (server) 12interconnected to a plurality of SSTs 14 (only two are shown) by anetwork 16. The SSTs 14 are in the form of ATMs. The host 12 includes anauthorization facility 18, a back-office facility 20 and a softwarerepository 22 for storing electronic collectable programs fordistribution to ATMs 14 across the network 16.

[0054] In addition to authorizing ATM transactions, the host 12 operatesas an interactive server from which ATMs 14 can download electroniccollectables, as will be described in more detail hereinafter. The ATMs14 are physically remote from each other, but are shown in proximity inFIG. 1 for clarity.

[0055]FIG. 1 also shows a portable device 24 in the form of a PDA, suchas a 3Com PalmIIc (trade mark). The PDA 24 is shown in broken lineadjacent to one of the ATMs 14 a and in solid line further away from theATM 14 a to illustrate that the PDA 24 is typically presented to an ATM14 a and then used remotely from the ATM 14 a.

[0056] Reference is now made to FIG. 2, which is a block diagramillustrating the architecture of the PDA 24 used in FIG. 1. In FIG. 2,the PDA 24 comprises a controller 30 and associated volatile memory 32and non-volatile memory 34, a touch-sensitive display 36, a serialcommunication port 38 for receiving a communication cable, and acommunication port 40 in the form of an IrDA-compliant infra-red portfor wireless transmission and reception of data.

[0057] Data can be transmitted to and from the IR port 40 using highlevel commands because the PDA 24 includes the necessary drivers foreffecting communication via port 40. In the 3-Com Palm IIIc (trade mark)software called “Exchange Manager” is used to effect communication viaport 40. As a result, it is not necessary for a programmer to understandthe underlying protocols and transmission characteristics involved forthe programmer to be able to send and receive data using port 40.

[0058] The non-volatile memory 34 is FLASH EPROM and contains the BIOSfor booting-up the PDA 24. The FLASH EPROM 34 also stores theapplications that are pre-programmed into the PDA 24, such as a calendarapplication, a notepad application, and such like.

[0059] The volatile memory 32 is logically split into two parts: adynamic heap 44 and a storage area 46.

[0060] The dynamic heap 44 is used for storing dynamic data such asglobal variables, system dynamic allocations (TCP/IP, IrDA, and suchlike), application stacks, and temporary memory allocations. Thekeystrokes entered into the PDA 24 are all stored in the dynamic heap44. The dynamic heap 44 is cleared when the PDA 24 is reset.

[0061] The storage area 46 is used for data and application storage, andis analogous to disk storage in a desktop personal computer. The storagearea 46 is powered by the PDA batteries (not shown) and by a largecapacitor, so that the storage area 46 retains data even when the PDA 24is reset or the batteries are replaced.

[0062] Storage area 46 is also loaded with an electronic collectablesviewer program 50 for receiving and storing electronic collectables, andalso for displaying the appropriate parts of electronic collectables.During use, the controller 30 also loads the storage area 46 with asimple operating system kernel 52.

[0063] Referring now to FIG. 3, which shows an ATM 14 of FIG. 1 in moredetail, the ATM 14 includes a touchscreen display module 64, a magneticcard reader/writer (MCRW) module 68, a receipt printer module 70, a cashdispenser module 72, an ATM controller module 74 for controlling theoperation of the various modules, a network connection module 76 forcommunicating with the host 12 (FIG. 1) via network 16 (FIG. 1), and anIR port module 78. All of the modules within the ATM 14 areinterconnected by an internal bus 80 for conveying encrypted data.

[0064] The IR port module 78 includes an IR to electrical signalconverter, and conforms to the IrDA standard for wireless communicationof data.

[0065] Reference is now made to FIG. 4, which shows the ATM controller74 in more detail. Controller 74 comprises a processor 82, a bios 84,storage 86 in the form of a magnetic disk drive, and main memory 88. Inuse, the processor 82 loads the memory 88 with an operating systemkernel 90, a state of health management interface 92, and an ATMapplication 94.

[0066] The management interface 92 filters out state of healthinformation received from the modules (64 to 72 in FIG. 3) to monitorthe performance of these modules (64 to 72 in FIG. 3) and thereby todetect possible malfunctions. The management interface 92 may alsoinclude open system architecture components (such as WOSA and/or WOSAXFS) for providing application interoperability in calling functionsrelating to the modules (64 to 72 in FIG. 3).

[0067] The ATM application 94 includes routines required to managereceipt and distribution of electronic collectables. In particular, theATM application 94 includes the application flow (i.e. the series ofscreens) presented to a user on the ATM display 64. The ATM application94 also includes conventional routines that are required to instructmodules to perform functions, for example, to instruct the cashdispenser 72 to dispense twenty pounds sterling. The ATM application 94also includes:

[0068] (1) a routine for receiving electronic collectables from the host12 and storing them in the memory 88;

[0069] (2) a routine for sending electronic collectables to the IR portmodule 78 for transfer to a user; and

[0070] (3) a routine for receiving electronic collectables from the IRport module 78, that is, electronic collectables sent by a user.

[0071] An electronic collectable 100 will now be described withreference to FIG. 5. The collectable 100 is a software file comprising afile format field 102, a representation field 104, and a textdescription field 106.

[0072] The file format field 102 contains data relating to the title ofthe collectable, the image size (x and y directions), the group (orseries) to which the collectable belongs, color information, and anyanimation data if the representation is an animated image.

[0073] The representation field 104 comprises bitmap format pixel datarelating to an image.

[0074] The text description field 106 contains text describing theimage. The text may also be in bitmap format.

[0075] When the owner or operator of the ATM network 10 (FIG. 1) wishesto market an event then a marketing campaign is initiated. The ATM owneror operator may provide this as a service to a third party and maycharge the third party for this service.

[0076] The campaign involves creating electronic collectables relatingto the event. In this embodiment, it is assumed that a new cinema filmis to be released relating to fictitious characters called “Minimons”. Aseries of collectables is devised including a number of thesecharacters. In this embodiment, eight different characters are includedin the series.

[0077]FIG. 6 illustrates the image 110 of one of these eight characters(called Axechamp) and the associated text description 1 12, as it mightappear on a portable device, such as PDA 24 (FIGS. 1 and 2). The image110 is shown displayed with a card background, however, the image 110may be displayed without this background Although a person willtypically associate the collectable with the image and text displayed,what is actually collected is the file (collectable) 100 containing theimage, text, and format information.

[0078] Referring to FIGS. 7 and 8, once a series of characters has beendevised, and the image and text information for each character has beentranslated into a collectable file 100, the collectable files 100 arethen combined into a series file 120, which is then loaded into thesoftware repository 22 on host 12. The collectables 100 are providedwith rules governing their transfer; these rules 122 are included in theseries file 120, as illustrated in FIG. 8. For example, each collectable100 may have a purchase price associated with it; or if it is free ofcharge, a user may only be allowed to download one collectable for eachtransaction executed.

[0079] The host 12 automatically transfers the series file 120 to eachATM 14. This is typically done during the night, or at some other timeperiod when network traffic is low. If the series file 120 is an updateto or a replacement for a series file that is currently stored on theATMs 14, then the previous series file is automatically deleted by theATM 14. Each ATM 14 stores the transferred series file 120 in the memory88 (FIG. 4) of its ATM controller 74 (FIGS. 3 and 4).

[0080] When the ATM application 94 receives the series file 120, itsplits the series file 120 into the individual collectables files 100 ato h, and the rules file 122. The rules file 122 is then read todetermine how the collectables files 100 a to h are to be distributed bythe ATM 14.

[0081] Referring to FIGS. 2, 3, and 9, if a user 96 wishes to download acollectable 100 to his/her PDA 24, then the user 96 approaches ATM 14 a,inserts his/her magnetic stripe card into the MCRW module 68 via a slotin the ATM 14 a, and enters a PIN (personal identification number).

[0082] The controller 74 then presents the user 96 with a screen 130(FIG. 9a) on display module 64. The screen 130 allows a user to selecteither withdraw cash 132 or download a collectable 134. Most of thescreens in the sequence of screens shown in FIGS. 9 also provide anoption 136 to allow a user to cancel the transaction.

[0083] If the user 96 selects the withdraw cash option 132 then aconventional ATM transaction is executed to provide the user 96 withcash. If the user 96 selects the download collectables option 134, thenthe next screen 140 (FIG. 9b) asks the user 96 to select the type ofportable device (such as PDA 24) operated by the user 96. The types ofportable devices supported by the ATM 14 a are shown on this screen 140,each type having its own selectable option (142 to 148).

[0084] Once the user 96 has selected the correct PDA type, in thisembodiment option 144 for PDA 24, then screen 150 (FIG. 9c) is presentedon display 64.

[0085] Screen 150 asks the user 96 to select the collectables seriesfrom which the user wishes to select a collectable. Three series areshown on screen 150: Minimon 152, football players 154, and other 156(which may include previous series that are still stored on the ATM 14).

[0086] When the user 96 selects a series (in this embodiment the Minimonseries is selected), then all the characters in that series aredisplayed on the next screen 160 (FIG. 9d). The characters 162 a to 162h may be displayed as still images or as animations (for example, thecharacters may move up and down and/or across the screen 160). The user96 is asked to touch the character 162 they wish to download.

[0087] When the user 96 has selected a character (for example, thecharacter called “axechamp” 162 g), then the card mounted image 172 andthe associated description 174 (which may be considered analogous to thereverse side of the card) of the character 162 g is displayed on thenext screen 170 (FIG. 9e) to show how the collectable 100 g will bedisplayed on the user's PDA 24.

[0088] The user 96 is then informed of any cost associated withdownloading the collectable (comprising this image 172 and description174) on the next screen 180 (FIG. 9f). Screen 180 has a total cost field182, an accept option 184 for confirming that the collectable 100 g isto be bought, and a cancel option 136 for canceling the transaction. Inother embodiments, there may be no cost associated with downloading acollectable, or the cost may be in points, such as loyalty points,rather than in cash.

[0089] Once the user 96 has accepted the offer by selecting acceptoption 184, the transaction is validated at the remote host 12 (FIG. 1)and a screen (not shown) is presented inviting the user 96 to align thePDA's wireless port 40 with the ATM's wireless port 78 so that thecollectable can be transferred to the user 96, as illustrated by dottedline 98 in FIG. 3. If the download was successful, a screen (not shown)is presented informing the user 96 of the successful download. If thedownload was not successful, a screen (not shown) is presented informingthe user 96 that the download failed and inviting the user 96 to realignthe PDA 24 for another attempt. If the collectable 100 g cannot betransferred successfully, then the transaction debiting money from theuser's account is reversed or otherwise cancelled and the user 96 isinformed that no money has been debited from his/her account.

[0090] Referring to FIGS. 10, at some later time, the user 96 can viewthe collectable on his/her PDA 24. To do this, the user 96 launches thecollectables viewer program 50 (FIG. 2). This program 50 presents a PDAscreen 190 on the display 36. The screen 190 shows the collectables thatare stored on the PDA 24 as names in a list 192, as illustrated in FIG.10a. The user 96 can select one of these names and view the collectableimage and description for that name, as illustrated in FIG. 10b (screen194 showing the image) and FIG. 10c (screen 196 showing thedescription).

[0091] Where more than one series is stored on the PDA 24, the list mayshow the names of the series, such as Minimons, football players, andsuch like, so that the user has first to select the series, then anotherlist is presented showing the collectables stored on the PDA 24 for thatseries.

[0092] The user 96 can also trade collectables with other users by usingthe viewer program 50, as illustrated in FIG. 1Oa, by selecting thetrade option 198. This instructs the viewer program 50 to transmit theselected collectable via the wireless port 40 (FIG. 2). If another userhas aligned his/her portable devices port with the user's PDA port 40then the other user can receive the transferred collectable There may besome monetary payment involved in this transfer between portabledevices.

[0093] In other embodiments, a PDA may include an encryption program forimplementing secure transfer of a collectable (as illustrated in FIG.11). This encryption program generates a new key for each transaction(transfer of a collectable) by obtaining a seed, and then applying ahashing algorithm (step 202), in this embodiment MD5, to the seed. Theseed is obtained by the encryption program reading the contents of thedynamic heap 44 (FIG. 2), requesting the current date and time from theoperating system, and appending the date and time settings to the readcontents. In some embodiments, only a portion of the dynamic heap 44 maybe used, for example, several hundred bytes of the dynamic heap may beused.

[0094] The hashed value is then split into two halves (step 204): leftand right. Two operations are then performed on the left half and theright half to generate a unique session key and a unique challenge value(step 206)

[0095] In the first operation, the left half is used as a firstintermediate key and the right half is used as first intermediate data.The first intermediate key is used to encrypt the first intermediatedata to produce the new key (which is a symmetric session key). In thesecond operation, the right half is used as a second intermediate keyand the left half is used as second intermediate data. The secondintermediate key is used to encrypt the second intermediate data toproduce a challenge value. The intermediate keys and intermediate dataare then discarded (they may be deleted or retained in memory until morememory is required). Thus, a unique key and a unique challenge valuehave been produced using the hashed value of the contents of the dynamicheap 44.

[0096] The PDA then uses a stored public key to encrypt the new key andchallenge value (step 208). The encrypted key and challenge value arethen transmitted (step 210) from the PDA to the ATM.

[0097] The ATM receives the encrypted transmission and conveys thetransmission to an ATM controller, The controller decrypts (using theprivate key counterpart to the public key) the encrypted transmission torecover the new (unique) session key and challenge value. The controllerresponds to the original challenge value sent by the PDA and prepares anew challenge value. The controller conveys to the PDA the new challengeand the original challenge using the new session key to encrypt thetransmission.

[0098] The PDA receives (step 212) the encrypted challenges and verifies(step 214) that the ATM has correctly responded to the originalchallenge.

[0099] If the ATM has correctly responded to the original challenge thenthe PDA responds to the ATMs challenge (step 216) and the ATM verifiesthis response; thereafter, secure communication can take place betweenthe PDA and the ATM, and the prepared transaction (transfer of acollectable) can be executed (step 218).

[0100] If the ATM has not correctly responded to the original challenge,then the communication between the PDA and the ATM is terminated (step220).

[0101] Various modifications may be made to the above describedembodiment within the scope of the invention, for example, the portabledevice may be a device other than a PDA, for example, a cellulartelephone, a portable PC (personal computer), a games console, or suchlike. In other embodiments, the SSTs may be information kiosks ratherthan ATMs. In other embodiments, the transaction flow (FIGS. 9a to 9 f)may be different to that described; for example, no PIN may have to beentered, or a PIN may be entered after downloading an electroniccollectable.

What is claimed is:
 1. A self-service terminal comprising: a port fortransferring data; and a collectables management program for informing auser about one or more electronic collectables that a user can request,and for transferring a requested electronic collectable to the user. 2.A terminal according to claim 1, wherein the collectable comprises animage and an associated description of the image.
 3. A terminalaccording to claim 2, wherein the collectable further comprises fileformat information.
 4. A terminal according to claim 1, furthercomprising a plurality of collections, each collection comprising aseries of associated collectables.
 5. A terminal according to claim 1,wherein the port comprises a wireless port for wireless transfer of thecollectables to the user.
 6. A terminal according to claim 1, furthercomprising a receiving program for receiving a collectable from a user'sportable device, thereby allowing a user to trade a collectable with theterminal.
 7. An automated teller machine (ATM) comprising: a cashdispenser; a port for transferring data; and a collectables managementprogram for informing an ATM customer about one or more electroniccollectables that the ATM customer can request, and for transferring arequested electronic collectable to the ATM customer.
 8. An ATMaccording to claim 7, wherein the collectable comprises an image and anassociated description of the image.
 9. An ATM according to claim 8,wherein the collectable further comprises file format information. 10.An ATM according to claim 7, further comprising a plurality ofcollections, each collection comprising a series of associatedcollectables.
 11. An ATM according to claim 7, wherein the portcomprises a wireless port for wireless transfer of the collectables tothe ATM customer.
 12. An ATM according to claim 7, further comprising areceiving program for receiving a collectable from a portable device ofthe ATM customer, thereby allowing the ATM customer to trade acollectable with the ATM.
 13. A portable device for accessing aself-service terminal, the portable device comprising: a port forreceiving data; and a program for receiving a transferred electroniccollectable, and for presenting at least part of the receivedcollectable.
 14. A portable device according to claim 13, wherein theprogram is able to transfer each collectable to another portable device,thereby allowing users to trade collectables with each other.
 15. Anelectronic collectable for distribution from a self-service terminal,the collectable comprising: a software file having file formatinformation and an associated representation, wherein the file formatinformation indicates a series to which the representation belongs. 16.An electronic collectable according to claim 15, further comprising atext-based description of the representation.
 17. A system fordistributing electronic collectables, the system comprising: a pluralityof self-service terminals interconnected to a server, each terminalincluding means for receiving one or more collectables from the serverso that a series of collectables can be centrally loaded on the serverand distributed through each of the self-service terminals.
 18. A methodof supplying a self-service terminal user with an electroniccollectable, the method comprising the steps of: informing the userabout one or more collectables that the user can request; receiving arequest for a collectable from the user; advising the user to prepare toreceive the requested collectable; and transferring the collectable to aportable device of the user.
 19. A method of marketing an event, themethod comprising the steps of: preparing a series of electroniccollectables associated with the event, each collectable comprising asoftware file; storing the series of collectables in a system; andallowing users to download a collectable from the system.
 20. A methodaccording to claim 19, further comprising the step of: generating rulesrelating to the number of collectables that a user may download during atime period.
 21. A method according to claim 19, further comprising thestep of: setting a time limit during which the collectables may becollected.
 22. A method according to claim 19, further comprising thestep of: targeting users to w h om electronic collectables will beoffered.
 23. A program for executing on a portable terminal, the programbeing operable to receive an electronic collectable, and to present theelectronic collectable on a display associated with the portableterminal.
 24. A program storage medium readable by a computer having amemory, the medium tangibly embodying one or more programs ofinstructions executable by the computer to perform method steps foroperating a self-service terminal to supply a self-service terminal userwith an electronic collectable, the method comprising the steps of:informing the user about one or more collectables that the user canrequest; receiving a request for a collectable from the user; advisingthe user to prepare to receive the requested collectable; andtransferring the collectable to a portable device of the user.